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Welcome to my musings on pop culture and parenting. I am the Pop Mama and this is a safe place to steal away from your screaming child and get your fix on what's up with Beyonce and great poop stain remover tips.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Yes, things are a changing and Cam is getting potty trained! This post is a true parenting post and doesn't reference pop culture, unless you count the Huggies "Potty Dance," plus I will get into some information that only a parent of a toddler can appreciate...so I won't be offended if you decide to leave the page because potty talk just isn't for you.

Here goes:
We started the process in earnest this morning with about $100 in "big boy" undies at the ready, two potty chairs (one upstairs, one down), a potty bell, full juice cup and a prayer. So far we have two successes (number 1) and a few accidents. He is napping now in a pull-up and as soon as he gets up we will plop him down on that potty chair and start the whole process all over. I decided to do this on a whim when I bought a potty training book to prepare myself for what I thought would come months down the road. After reading the book "Toilet Training Without Tantrums," I decided that now was a fine time to employ the "Naked and $75" strategy touted by the book and get down to it. Luckily, my husband was amenable and we didn't have any plans this weekend.

Basically, we let Cam hang out in undies and a t-shirt, drink his signature cocktail (90% water with a splash of white grape juice -- how sophisticated!) and set a timer for him to keep him sitting on the potty in regular intervals. When the potty bell rings, he has to sit on the potty until he goes and then he can empty it out in the big boy potty and flush (what a reward!). I also have a little chart where he can add a sticker for a success. He LOVES stickers, so that is also a reward for him.

There have already been some "shake your head moments." One was when he was standing in the kitchen eating a banana and just let loose on the floor and proceeded to stomp around in it like a rain puddle, saying "Wook Mom! I peed!" Thanks Cammy. I'm hoping we get the hang of sitting on the potty sooner than later, because I only have so many paper towels...and so much patience. I am counting on this taking more than a few days for him to master it, but I'm committed, so away we go!